Tag: google

Ok so the assignment is over. And I promise I’ll stop soon. But this whole thing has become oddly addictive. And everyone knows they call it cold turkey because a carcass becomes cold after death. Everyone knows that.

So while I’m supposed to be writing essays for other assignments I’ve been thinking about autonomous cars. The people that know things say that they’ll drastically reduce the incidence of traffic accidents. That is, once they stop doing this…

And they will stop. Because Elon “saviour of mankind” Musk is on the case. And once these clever chaps get it right, car accidents will become a thing of the past. Good thing, yes. But when you extrapolate out from that you realise that what will eventuate is a ban on non-autonomous vehicles. That sits slightly less well.

All this to say I realise it’s irrational. I know that of all people I should definitely not be in control of a vehicle. It would be better for everyone if I wasn’t performing solo rock concerts while manning a car. It’d be better for everyone if I wasn’t performing solo rock concerts full stop, but that’s just out of the question. That elation that comes from flying down a highway, it’s probably just a social construct. It’s probably just because we’ve watched too many road movies. And by the time the ban is in place it’ll be a younger generation dealing with the consequences. And maybe for them that feeling wouldn’t be the same.

But here’s another thing I’ve been thinking. And let me preface this by saying I’m not sure whether I actually think it or if its just a thing I’m thinking about, if that makes sense. My question is this, are we moving towards a moment in time where everything is too safe? Isn’t there something significant about getting in a car and just at the back of your mind being aware that you could theoretically die before you reach your destination? Maybe that little voice in the back of your head that says that.. maybe it wakes you up. Stops you from becoming apathetic. In my mind there’s a sort of vertical line. And that line represents high chance of death. And maybe the closer you get to the line the more you’re aware of your life. I may disagree with myself completely in an hour because, like I said, i don’t know if I really think any of what I’m thinking. And I was voicing a case for immortality just last week so… very little consistency here.

It’s in a similar vein to what Carlin says about being offended, about political correctness. We’re all so careful and so concerned about saying the right thing that a lot of our interactions have become vacant, meaningless. I mean, has the incidence of bullying in the playground increased or are kids just so coddled these days that they can’t deal with it anymore? That might be harsh. I think I’m just in a mood. I’m not sure how we got here.

I really hope the prof is done going through this site because this has just gone way off the rails.